The lower age is to be raised for anyone creating social media accounts, such as Instagram and Facebook, which are among some of the most mainstream platforms run by Meta. The pressure to raise the age of users who can set up their social profiles – backed by lots of high-profile campaigners – also puts forward advanced age verification checks helping to solve the issue.
Under 16s will be banned from creating their own profiles opening them up to a world of online interactions with strangers, which pose a threat. The ban is expected to come into force in March next year; tech platforms and providers of the identity verification checks, which have to be approved by the government, will have a duty to enforce the law.
Taking a tough approach, the UK follows Australia’s bans on young social media users trying to emulate online safety, although the UK’s successful implementation is said to be a “stronger test than the ‘reasonable steps’ criteria applied in Australia.
The biggest government policy on this in the UK aims to safeguard children from the dangerous harms of the social media orbit.
Ofcom recommends four age assurance methods capable of being ‘highly effective’ at 16 or over, including photo ID, digital ID, banking checks and facial age estimation. They also acknowledge that some people under 16 may not have the best forms of identification. e.g. driver’s licence, or photo ID document, so other means of identifying them are necessary. An estimated 94% of people aged 16 and over in the UK have either a passport or driving licence, according to Ofcom.
By the end of 2026, the Government will set out how the ban will work in practice. Regulator will then consult on industry guidance and be ready to check compliance when the ban is implemented.
Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom’s Chief Executive, said: “This ban will shape the future of children’s lives online, so it’s important to get it right. It can work if social media firms do highly effective age checks properly, and we’ve set out ways that could be achieved. When it comes into force next year, we’ll be ready to take swift and firm action against any company that fails to comply”.
As governments and regulators like Ofcom mandate strict age enforcement for platforms like Meta, mandatory age assurance has shifted from a regulatory ambition to an operational imperative. At Identity Week Europe, industry leaders and technology providers gather to showcase and debate the scalable biometric, digital ID, and document-verification solutions essential to implementing these complex compliance requirements.
